How can the insights from computational social science be used to inform experimental research, and vice versa? - online 21 April 2020

How can the insights from computational social science be used to inform experimental research, and vice versa?

Abstract:This seminar will present the four predominant methods used for studying social media in the political and communication sciences: survey research, computational methods, qualitative interviews, and experimental designs. The presentation (approximately 30 minutes) will highlight how these methods has been used in prior research, as well focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each. It will also detail the current availability of data access for major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube.

The aim is to serve as a primer for those less familiar with social media research, but also to encourage reflection among those more familiar with these approaches. In particular, the question of how these different approaches can be combined – in light of increasingly restrictive data access – will be raised for discussion.